Important notice
Alberta is currently in water shortage management stage 4, where multiple water management areas are impacted by water shortage. Alberta’s government is monitoring the situation and is working closely with water users and local governments to help manage and conserve water where possible. Learn more about current conditions on Alberta River Basins.
What is drought?
Drought is a prolonged period of dry weather that depletes water resources, including:
- natural sources (rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, groundwater)
- man-made storage (reservoirs and dugouts)
- soil moisture
Drought can further be defined based on its impacts, including:
- Meteorological drought is a result of less precipitation than normal over a prolonged period in a specific region. This is usually the first type of drought to occur, and is based on water shortage conditions and not impacts of drought, which typically appear later.
- Agriculture drought occurs when there is not enough soil moisture to meet the needs of crops and pastures during the growing season. It usually occurs next after a meteorological drought.
- Hydrological drought occurs when surface water or groundwater levels fall to below-average levels because of a lack of precipitation. It usually occurs more slowly than a meteorological or agricultural drought.
- Socio-economic drought occurs when the prolonged water shortage in a region begins to impact people and the economy.
In the past 120 years, 5 major droughts have occurred across the Canadian Prairies. Starting in 1929 with the “Dust Bowl”, multi-year droughts also occurred in the 1980s and the early 2000s.
For updates on current conditions, visit the Advisories Menu on Alberta River Basins or Alberta Rivers app.
Impacts of drought
Many Albertans believe this province has an abundant supply of freshwater, but in some areas, such as Southern Alberta, water scarcity is already a reality. Impacts from drought include:
- degradation or death of vegetation, fish and wildlife
- economic losses in agriculture and associated industries
- water restrictions, shut down of some licensed water diversions where water demands exceed water supply
- increased forest fire risk
Multi-year droughts are critical to understand and prepare for because their impacts on the environment, economy and society are cumulative. Because we do not know in advance whether a drought will become a multi-year event, the potential for prolonged droughts requires greater preparedness and resiliency.
Water management during drought
Alberta’s government ensures the quality and quantity of Alberta’s water resources under the Water Act, which supports and promotes the conservation and management of water. During times of drought or water shortage, it may be necessary for the government to administer priorities for water licences to protect the aquatic environment and integrity of the water management system.
Depending on the length and severity of a water shortage, the government may proceed through these 5 stages of water shortage:
- Stage 1: Monitoring and Observation
- As the water supply outlook indicates there may be potential water shortages and there is elevated risk to priority calls, apportionment agreements and the aquatic environment.
- Stage 2: Active Management
- Stream flows are below instream objective or water conservation objectives and is forecast not to improve, with stressful conditions for fish populations.
- Stage 3: Priority Call Assessment and Administration
- Receipt of a Priority Call or Apportionment Administration
- Stage 4: Multiple Water Management Areas Affected
- A significant number of licensees/traditional agricultural users / household users in the water management areas are impacted and unable to divert water, with water shortage projected to or does persist.
- Stage 5: Declaring an Emergency under the Water Act
- Significant risk to human health and safety due to insufficient water supply and water quality degradation. Municipalities, water users and Alberta Government departments have been unable to address the extent and magnitude of water shortage. Significant stress on the health of the aquatic environment where fish mortality occurs.
Learn more about Water Shortage Management Stages.
Municipal involvement
Municipalities also play a large role in water management during drought as they are responsible for water supply and distribution to communities. They develop community-wide water shortage response plans, which may include voluntary or mandatory water restrictions. Municipalities also declare agricultural disasters when crops are impacted by drought.
Accessing water with a Water Act licence
Other than a few specific exemptions (such as the right to divert water for household purposes), diverting and using surface or groundwater in Alberta requires a licence under the Water Act. It is the responsibility of the Water licence holder to understand and follow the terms and conditions of their licence. During a water shortage, licence holders may gain access to water by any of these 3 methods, or a combination of.
Stay informed on conditions
Water shortage advisories are reported publicly on:
- Alberta River Basins
- Alberta Rivers: Data and Advisories application that can be downloaded to your smartphone. Sign up to receive a “push notification” if there are advisories in your area.
Resources
- Alberta Water Council: Building Resiliency to Multi-Year Drought
- Farming in dry conditions
- Temporary Diversion Licence (Water Act)
- Working Well – Clean Water Well Protected: Issue 15: Protecting your well from disasters
- Agricultural moisture situation update [2023]
- Canadian Drought Monitor
- Canadian Drought Outlook
- Alberta WaterPortal – Drought
- Drought support: temporary livestock water assistance
- Alberta's Water Priority System Fact Sheet
- Preparing Water Shortage Response Plans
- Water Diversion for Agricultural Uses During Low Flow Conditions
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